Hattiesburg, Miss. - The University of Houston volleyball team lost its 2011 road finale, 3-1 (16-25, 18-25, 25-23, 17-25), Sunday afternoon at Reed Green Coliseum. With the loss, Houston falls to 18-11 on the season and 11-8 in Conference USA play.

Senior Ingrida Zauere had a strong defensive outing, finishing with a career-high 27 digs and four blocks. She also had eight blocks in the match.

After jumping out to a 4-1 lead to start the match, Houston allowed the Golden Eagles to come back within two, 14-12, of tying the set. Southern Miss then put together an 11-0 run to take a 22-14 lead. Houston ended the run with two quick points, but the Golden Eagles closed out the match scoring the final three points to win 25-16.

Southern Miss carried the momentum from the first set to the second. They played to a 4-1 lead to open the set and never looked back. The Cougars tied the set 9-9 before taking the lead on the next point, but a 4-0 run reclaimed the lead, 13-10, for Southern Miss. Houston called a timeout in an attempt to regroup, but USM scored the first point out of the break before winning the set 25-18.

The Cougars played to a 12-8 lead in the third set, prompting a timeout from the Southern Miss bench. Out of the break, USM pulled within one of the Cougars, 12-11, but Houston answered with two-straight points to add to its lead. UH continued to increase its lead and held a 20-16 advantage going into a second USM timeout.

Out of the second timeout, the Golden Eagles were able to get within 22-21 of the Cougars, but Houston held off the comeback to win the third set, 25-23.

Southern Miss scored the first three points of the fourth set and built a 9-2 lead before Houston was forced to call a timeout. The Cougars pulled within seven of the lead, 22-15, late, but the Golden Eagles were able to hold off UH and win the final set 25-17.

UP NEXT
Houston returns home to close out the regular season against Rice at 7 p.m., Nov. 23.